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“Little hero” ready to celebrate first birthday

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LITTLE HERO: Little Noah, pictured with his parents Caroline and Joey Weeks, will reach a milestone birthday next week after a traumatic start to life. Photo: Michelle Crean

By Michelle Crean

One boy's first birthday next week will be very special as his parents didn't think he'd survive after suffering from a traumatic and frightening condition at birth.

Little Noah Weeks contracted Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (PPHN) - which occurs in one in one thousand babies - and his parents Caroline and Joey recall how it was "touch and go" at the time.

Minutes after his birth Noah, who they describe as their "little hero" was whisked away and placed in an incubator in the Emly Ward in University Hospital Kerry. A team was urgently dispatched from Crumlin Children's Hospital via the Air Corps who rushed Noah up Dublin for specialist care.

And, as it was in the middle of the pandemic it meant only one parent could visit a day, making it an incredibly emotional experience for both parents.

As her little boy battled for his life, Caroline (33) realised just how incredible the staff are and is now fundraising to support them.

She took on the '150kms Your Way' and plans to finish it next Wednesday just before Noah's milestone birthday on Saturday, May 29. They are planning a special socially distanced celebration with an outdoor BBQ with their immediate family all within current Government guidelines.

"I chose to run it and I've done 135kms so far, I'll be finished by Wednesday before his birthday," Caroline told the Killarney Advertiser.

"I'm doing it for Crumlin, they're the reason he survived. It was quite serious and he was touch and go. We're nothing but grateful and we feel really fortunate that there's something like that there. They do such incredible invaluable work, they have the expertise."

She added that Dr Mary McCaffrey from the Scotia Clinic made it possible for her to see Noah being born under caesarean section and she was the first in Kerry to use the "window drap".

She's also been a huge advocate for breastfeeding in Kerry. Caroline thanked Anna O’Donoghue, Lactation Consultant and Practice Nurse from Muckross who works at Ross Medical Practice at the Reeks.

"Noah was on a feeding tube for nine or 10 days. Then I was able to breastfeed, I started pumping and syringe feeding him. Once he was feeding successfully we were allowed home. He's really healthy now. He's our little hero."

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Chamber pays tribute to late Dick Henggeler

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has expressed condolences following the death of Dick Henggeler, the well-known owner of The Rose Hotel in Tralee. Mr Henggeler passed away peacefully at […]

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Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has expressed condolences following the death of Dick Henggeler, the well-known owner of The Rose Hotel in Tralee.

Mr Henggeler passed away peacefully at his home in Baltimore, USA surrounded by his Aghadoe-born wife Eibhlin (née Moriarty), their son Franz, and other family members.
Dick and Eibhlin purchased The Rose Hotel in 2015 in tribute to their late daughter Dorothy, who represented Washington DC in the 2011 Rose of Tralee Festival.
The Chamber said Mr Henggeler would be remembered for his warmth, good nature and positive approach, as well as for being a forward-thinking and knowledgeable businessman.
“He knew how to run a good hotel and that was and still is very obvious at The Rose Hotel, which is a great success story,” the Chamber said.
It added that continuity of ownership will remain in place, with Eibhlin, Franz, daughter-in-law Amber, and grandchildren Conrad and Rowan continuing to honour Dick’s legacy and vision for the hotel.
“Dick took enormous personal pride in Tralee and all of Kerry and he was always available to generously support any community initiative or endeavour undertaken in Killarney,” the Chamber said.
“He will be greatly missed by all that knew him but he leaves a wonderful legacy.”

He will repose at O’Shea’s Funeral Home, Killarney, on Friday (October 17), from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. The funeral will arrive at St Mary’s Cathedral on Saturday morning at 10:00am for Requiem Mass at 10:30am, with burial afterwards in Aghadoe Cemetery. The Requiem Mass will be live streamed at https://www.churchservices.tv/killarneycathedral.

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Beaufort Film Night returns with French drama-comedy

Beaufort Film Night will return on Friday (October 17) at Cullina National School, with a screening of the French drama-comedy The Marching Band. The film tells the story of Thibaut, […]

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Beaufort Film Night will return on Friday (October 17) at Cullina National School, with a screening of the French drama-comedy The Marching Band.

The film tells the story of Thibaut, a successful conductor recently diagnosed with leukaemia. A search for a bone marrow donor reveals that he was adopted and has a brother, Jimmy, a cafeteria worker.
The two meet, discover a shared love of music, and form a strong bond through an unexpected collaboration with Jimmy’s workplace band.
The Marching Band (French title En Fanfare) will screen at 8.30pm. Admission is €7, cash only, and will cover the motion picture licence fee.
The film has a 12A rating and is in French with English subtitles.
Beaufort Film Night is a non-profit community group that screens cultural English and international films that usually do not receive general release in Kerry.
The event is supported by Kerry County Council Arts Office and Access Cinema. Cullina National School is providing the venue.
Further details are available on Beaufort Film Night’s Facebook page @BeaufortFilmNight.

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